Halal status: Muslim-owned Halalicious rating: 10/10 Average spend per pax: S$6.50 Recommended dishes: Everything because the broth and ingredients are spectacular, but I had the Prawn Noodles with Clams (S$6.50).

You guys. I had initially planned to talk about Netflix’s The Crown and how much I’m enjoying watching it because Claire Foy is such an emotive and talented actress. BUT. I can’t even wait to tell you guys about the amazing Chinese prawn noodles I had last week at Deanna’s Kitchen at Toa Payoh Lorong 1 Food Centre with my friend and her husband!!

Seriously I should’ve known it was going to be a perfect evening when this was my view while walking from Braddell MRT station to the hawker centre:

Hashtag alhamdulillah feels

So Deanna’s Kitchen is a 100% muslim-owned, authentic Chinese prawn noodle stall set up by Denise Chew (Deanna), a Chinese convert (or revert if you prefer, I’m not fussed) and her husband Asri Ramli. I read that after converting to Islam, Deanna couldn’t find good halal prawn mee so she asked her mum for the recipe and tweaked it to halal perfection!! The Chinese versions usually use pork bone broth, but Deanna uses prawn broth instead. The story of their interracial love is also super touching; if you guys are interested to know more you can read it on her IG here!

Menu!

I love that they specialise in one thing only (prawn noodles with variations in ingredients and noodles), because you can rest assured they’re focused on perfecting their signature dish. I love that you can customise your noodles too; I really do not like yellow noodles for that horrible lye taste and the starchy texture. BOO.

I went with the Prawn Noodles with Clams (S$6.50) which consisted of noodles in prawn broth with prawns, fishcake, a very generous serving of plump clams, and some kangkong:

Prawn Noodles with Clams (S$6.50) – 10/10

OMGGGGG you guys. I could already smell the fragrant broth when I carried the bowl over to my table to set it down, so I knew it was going to be special, but man, the first sip was transcendental. I loved, loved, loved the prawn broth taste; it was so flavourful and went perfectly with the bee hoon noodles I had selected! Also guys, you gotta add the fried shallots (bawang goreng) because they are delicious and make the already-perfect noodles taste better.

Don’t even get me started on the clams. I LOVE clams omg I am an absolute clam FIEND, and there were SOOOOO many in the bowl! All for S$6.50?!?! It’s madness. The same quantity of clams you buy as an à la carte stirfry dish would’ve easily cost more. 10/10 for this delightful bowl of prawn noodles UGH.

Plump and juicy clams omg

My friend got the same thing as me but her husband went with the Big Prawn Noodle (also S$6.50) – take a look at the photos here:

Ahem my best flatlay attempt lol I just can’t take good photos most of the time

Big Prawn Noodle (S$6.50)

The aftermath. LOOK AT HOW MANY CLAMS!!! From just two bowls of Prawn Noodles with Clams ugh!! ❤

Opening hours for Deanna’s Kitchen

The service here is terrific too you guys. Quick story – after finishing my bowl I went to order 3 more bowls for takeaway. It was almost closing time just before 8pm, and while I was waiting for my order, these two girls came up and ordered what was to be the last couple of bowls. The stall didn’t have enough broth for a full second bowl, and so the co-owner Asri gave a great discount for the bowl! UGH what great customer service. Also because theirs were the last two bowls, he gave the girls all the remaining clams and warned them that they were being given excess clams because the stall was closing, lest they come back next time and wonder why they’re not getting as many clams. Very thoughtful service.

Second story is, I took away those 3 bowls to my Chinese friends who were still working late in the office, and they LOVED it!! One of them said it’s the best prawn mee broth she’d tasted in a long time, and the other one told me she counted TWENTY FOUR CLAMS in her bowl. LOL it’s insane. So yeah while I have no basis for comparison, having never eaten porky prawn mee before, my Chinese friends definitely vouch for the taste and authenticity of Deanna’s Kitchen’s Chinese prawn mee ❤

Halal status: Muslim-owned Halalicious rating: 10/10 Average spend per pax: S$6.50 Recommended dishes: Everything because the broth and ingredients are spectacular, but I had the Prawn Noodles with Clams (S$6.50).

Hey guys! Day 5 Ramadan, and I’m feeling good about this holy month so far! Sure, I’m severely sleep deprived since I’ve been waking up to sahur (have my pre-dawn meal), and then praying subuh prayers before getting ready for work. Previously I would go back to sleep for 1-2 hours but last year when I did that it was SO hard for me to wake up! I inevitably overslept and had to Uber to work a total of 9 times 😦 #neveragain

I was dyingggg to try the New Zealand Little Neck Clams (S$12) in red sauce, which is made with tomato cream, roasted mushroom, garlic, lemon juice, and topped with cilantro. (Obviously the cilantro did it for me. Who cares about the white sauce!!)

YUMMMM you guys. You know how much I love clams right? (Do you? Read my Penang Culture reviews if you ain’t convinced. I was worried I was going to be disappointed, but my word, the clams here blew me away!!! Guyssss. They were so plump and juicy and fresh!! The sauce was also perfect – a little tangy, a little savoury, a little earthy. Super delish. I do not even understand why other places cannot make clams THIS good. 10/10 but let it be said I almost docked a half-point because I wished the portion was bigger.

For my main dish I had, haaaad, to try the Nasi Lemak Risotto (S$21), a daring modern take on good old nasi lemak. The background of this story, as told by Chef Nazz himself, was that he was issued a challenge to come up with a new dish for the menu. Coincidentally his mum, who runs a catering business, was preparing nasi lemak one evening as he was waiting for inspiration and lo, there it was.

Nasi Lemak Risotto (S$21) – 9/10

I must say, I really loved it, both in taste and concept. The fresh prawns were coated in delicious sambal that was a mix of sweet and spicy, just how nasi lemak sambal should be. The risotto had really good bite, and had a coconutty taste with a hint of lemongrass. I know some people would be anathema to paying $21 for what amounts to an ‘atas nasi lemak’ which they could’ve otherwise gotten for $5, but I delight in the creativity of this dish. There is a mix of both irreverence and respect for the revered Nasi Lemak. Go try it soon guys! 9/10

For dessert, since I’d had the Ondeh-ondeh French Toast during my last couple of brunch visits, we went for the Butterscotch Popcorn Waffle (S$14):

Butterscotch Popcorn Waffle (S$14) – 6.5/10

As much as I think Chef Nazz is super talented, I have to admit this dessert fell flat for me. The popcorn was a net negative, generally quite dry and flavourless. I thought the banana was not terribly special either, perhaps they could have flambéed it or something to bring the flavour out and make the texture more mushy? I’m def not a culinary expert by any measure, but I know I did not enjoy this dish as it came. Also: more butterscotch please! 6.5/10, with deepest regrets.

Disappointing though the dessert was, I thoroughly enjoyed the clams and the nasi lemak risotto. I will definitely keep going back to Hyde & Co to try more of the menu (The Steak Frites!!). I think every menu is bound to have one or two duds, but the rest of the stuff are just really so, so good. OK I have to stop talking about food now because it’s torturous (currently 1.40pm on a Friday afternoon boohoo!) Have a good weekend you guys!

Earlier this week, I found myself running through the list of restaurants at Changi Airport, looking for a suitable halal place to break my fast. I was in Ho Chi Minh for a short work trip, and was going to fly back to Singapore later that evening. After looking through the list, which included Swensens, 4 Fingers, and Central Thai, I finally settled on Penang Culture.

Tucked away at the back of the 3rd floor above the Departure level at Changi Airport’s Terminal 2, Penang Culture serves authentic street food in airconditioned comfort, though of course it is priced at a premium to ordinary hawker fare.

I landed around 710 pm and was dying of hunger by the time I reached the restaurant 15 minutes later – luckily, each table gets a basket of prawn crackers, the kinds they usually dole out in Indonesian restaurants. I confess I did not take a photo of it as I was too busy stuffing my face, but it was there, swear. Some of the keropoks were lemau (not as crispy as they should have been), but they tasted good and helped tide me over as I waited for our orders. What also helped was the self-service water stations at one corner of the restaurant, since it meant I didn’t have to wait to quench my thirst.

The menu is crazy extensive, so I will leave the menu photos to the end of the post, but I really had such a hard time trying not to overorder. The one thing I absolutely love from Penang Culture is the BBQ Lala (S$8.95), which are lala clams grilled in their special sambal sauce:

They were juicy and so tasty; I honestly don’t know how they do it. The sambal was absolutely amazing; just thinking about it makes my mouth water! I can’t quite put my finger on the taste, but it was both spicy and sweet, with a hint of lemongrass. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had a smidge of belacan or dried shrimp in it. SO PERFECT. The clams themselves were a little chewy but I actually like that, so we’re good. 9.5/10

We also shared a small Penang Otah (S$6.95):

This was rather disappointing, and definitely not the best I’ve tasted. My main reference point here would be the sublime, fat, juicy-af Fish Otak Otak that they serve at Madam Kwan’s KL (The Singapore Madam Kwan’s isn’t halal, unfortunately). I also really love the moist and tasty otak-otak served at Rasa Istimewa at Choa Chu Kang Park. SO GOOD. But let’s get back to the present, wherein I am confronted by a sad, compact lump of otak-otak that was dry and not at all juicy. It wasn’t all-out horrible; just that I was just expecting more from this restaurant. The taste was also not on-point. It was slightly spicy, which was good, but it was also a little bitter, which I found unusual. My friend agreed with me about the texture, but didn’t really mind the taste. To that I say, you have NOT tasted the otak-otak from Madam Kwan’s! 6.5/10

Luckily, the Belacan Chicken Wings ($$5.95 for two full wings) were so so delicious. I even forgot to take a photo of the dish because I ate it way too quickly before realising what I’d done, sorry guys! You can take a look at the photo in the menu gallery below, but know that it tastes incredible. Umami, crispy skin, flavourful chicken meat, just all-around perfect. 10/10

This was SO SO DELICIOUS!!! Boy did I regret having to share this dish. Because of the salted egg the texture of the noodles are every so slightly grainy, but that’s a small price to pay for the mad righteous flavour. The noodles are moist and packed with yummy prawns, squid, and some crab meat on top. Admittedly it’s a little pricey for ‘atas char kway teow’ but I’m telling you, this tastes so delicious, I would pony up the extra Yusof Ishaks for this plate of happiness. 9.5/10

All in all, Penang Culture is a great spot if you’re looking for a halal option at Changi Airport. I would definitely come back for the food!

As promised, here’s a gallery of the menu. You can also find it online when you click here.